A Royal Pain
by The Labyrinths Scribe
Summary: Summary Inside - M/A. Terminal City is on the verge of collapsing, the siege finally taking its toll. But all hope isn't lost just yet; a political loophole has been discovered to give them their freedom, If and only if certain conditions are met.
1. The Loophole

**SUMMARY: Terminal City is on the verge of collapsing. The war has gone on for far too long, and the toll as really begun to show. The siege has kept them from leading the lives that Max had so desired for her people, and she herself is at breaking point. But, as it turns out, luck may be on their side after all. A political loophole is discovered, something that grants the denizens of Terminal City diplomatic immunity. The thing to remember about deals though, is that if it seems too good to be true, it probably is. Nothing is without a price, especially not in Post-Pulse America. Will Alec and Max be able to handle the situation as it needs to be, or will the conditions of this loophole force them to buckle under the pressure?**

**AN: Hey everyone! I'm the author of Alec McDowell Must Die (which has been removed and is being rewritten because of the terrible quality of the writing) and Always Together, and a few choice others that were removed to be rewritten -sheds a tear for all the lost reviews- **

**In any event, this story was a plot bunny by Laughter over at the DA Challenges in Live Journal that is FINALLY getting posted. I'm not entirely happy with it since I've been writing in a more somber mood for the past couple of months, but I'm hoping this story will inspire me to perk up. It will be amusing and somber at times, so please stick with it. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

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Chapter 1: The Loophole

Max weaved her way through the darkened streets of Terminal City, her gait inhumanly graceful. It was nice, being able to walk properly. When she was living among the ordinaries, she had to make a conscious effort to keep her footfalls at least somewhat heavy so she could blend in properly. Of course, she was still abnormally graceful but not inhumanly so; most people, looking at her slim form and the sway to her hips, assumed she was a dancer of some kind.

Times had been kind of tough lately, especially with TC under heavy siege. Sneaking in supplies was getting more and more difficult with patrols being increased. Regardless, they were holding their own. She smiled crookedly, thinking to herself 'I bet Deck never saw this one coming...' She'd thought of him a lot, the past couple of months. He'd just disappeared off radar, like he had never existed. She would never admit it to anyone, but she'd grown somewhat fond of him.

Oh, she still despised him, but he'd been a guide for her, really. He had been her unit's personal trainer, in Manticore, so it was his voice she heard during all those years of escape and evade, his lessons that kept her alive. Ironic, when you think about the fact that he was the one she was running from. She stalked the streets and made her way to the TC water tower. It wasn't nearly has high as she would have liked, but it would do. She reached the top and stretched out, staring out at the city that she had helped forge and now defended.

For a moment, she let her facade crumble. It was a disaster, truly. They were penned in like animals, again, with less sense of any kind of order. They told her time and time again how much they liked being free, but they weren't, not really. Her shoulders shook violently with held back emotion. She was the strong one, the dependable one, the one who kept everything together. She never let her facade down around anyone, not her friends and certainly not the residents of TC. They depended on her for their survival, and so she could not show weakness.

She heard him approach long before she saw him, but couldn't stop the tremors. How had Zack handled it? She missed him beyond comprehension, right now. She missed her family. Of course, she had a few new additions to her family, ones that were in reach, but it wasn't the same. She buried her head into her arms, her knees drawn up to her chest. She stopped the tremors, and let a few tears fall silently. Drawing a shaky breath, she angled her head to look at him.

"Max?" Alec's head was cocked to the side, a frown on his face. He looked somewhat alarmed, to tell the truth.

"I'm fine, Alec." She let out a shaky chuckle at his expression. Even he, who had seen her in a similar state the night of the Berrisford fiasco, couldn't understand the way she felt.

"If you say so..." He looked like he wanted to say something else, but refrained and sat next to her instead, wrapping an arm around her tiny frame in a half hug.

Max sucked in a breath and bit her lip, angling her head towards him. "What are we going to do?" Her voice was soft, almost unheard in the windy tower.

Alec looked at her out of the corner of his eye. "We'll figure something out, Maxie. We always have."

Max nodded and bit her tongue to stop herself from reminding him that things change, and they weren't under siege back then. Alec sat next to her in companionable silence, thinking things over as they watched the patrol cars go back and forth. After an hour, he stood and stretched a bit, laying a hand on Max's shoulder. "I'm going to go. Carmon's waiting for me, and if I brood anymore I'll get wrinkles."

Max snorted, a small smile on her face, and waved him away as though to give him leave. A few more minutes went by when she realized he was still standing there. She raised an eyebrow and he shifted for a moment. "You should come down...It's kind of cold up here."

She looked into his eyes, seeing the nervousness. She knew why he really wanted her to come down. He was worried about her, yes, but not because of hypothermia. He was afraid she would jump. Things had been a little dicey a couple of weeks back: a retrieval of some new transgenics had gone wrong when a few Familiars had shown up, and Max was injured. She had offhandedly commented that dieing would have been better than going through that battle again and dealing with all of the broken bones in addition to all her political duties.

Alec had been watching her ever since, making sure she was rarely alone. The comment had worried him so much that he had all but forced her to move in with him. Max thought it was annoying, sweet, but annoying when considering the fact that it had been an offhand comment when she was getting patched up. Max asked him what he thought of being celibate, because she was in no way, shape, or form going to tolerate being in his apartment with another chick's post-copulation pheromones everywhere. _That_ gave him a start. Max choked back a laugh as she remembered the look on his face. It had been easy after that, convincing him that if he insisted on her being closer, more accessible, to him, the empty apartment down the block would be fine.

10 minutes had passed now and he was still standing there, watching her nervously. She sighed and rolled her eyes, choosing to pick her battles and save her energy. She stood and slid down the ladder to the bottom, Alec following close behind. She walked back to her apartment, knowing that he was watching her and making sure she didn't go back. She curled up on the sofa of her empty apartment and stared at the ceiling, counting the revolutions of the fan. She could just as easily be in deep thought here as she was on the tower, only it was a bit more pathetic.

She momentarily considered heading to Hell, the only bar in TC, but discarded it in an instant. She didn't really feel like being around people right now, or getting hit on. A few of the newer residents of TC hadn't really quite gotten over the fact that she wasn't interested and had been pursuing her with renewed vigor when they found that Alec wasn't her boyfriend. It had been suggested to her, several times by several different people, that she move on. She had moved on, but she wasn't going to move on with someone else.

She rolled over and snuggled deeper into her sofa. She missed her family so much, especially Zack. If Zack were here, he would know what to do. Zack always knew what to do. But he was playing farm boy somewhere down South with no memory and past. Logan had made sure that she would never find out exactly where he was 'in case anyone went looking for him'. She snorted, not believing that she had bought that at the time. Still, she knew that Zack was where he needed to be, regardless of her own desires.

With a sigh, she drifted off to sleep, praying to the Blue Lady for some sort of miracle.

* * *

Alec followed Max home, making sure she stayed in her apartment before he left. He'd originally made plans with Carmon, one Tic's newest residents, but suddenly didn't really feel up to it. Ever since Logan had been unofficially banished from TC, and he no longer had to keep up the act about being Max's boyfriend, he felt closer to her. She still kicked his ass on occasion and yelled at him almost constantly, but her words had long since lost their bite. She was comfortable around him now, less angry and demanding. The people who didn't really know her called it a blessing that she'd finally calmed down, but those who did knew that something was wrong.

Max hadn't been acting like her self lately at all. She'd been somber, melancholy. Even when the bad shit got worse, she didn't get sad and mope around like a lifeless doll. She got loud and angry and, if the occasion called for it, even. It had slowly been getting worse as time passed. Nowadays, she hardly spoke at all except when she was working. In which case, she was mostly yelling, trying to keep up the status quo. She hadn't properly spoken to OC in months or even gone to visit her friends. Alec had spent days pouring over books about the U.S. Government, looking for a way to get them out of this mess, and he was tired.

He'd been more cynical than usual lately, something frightening to behold in Joshua's opinion. Lately it had come down to choosing how much energy went into everything, and research had taken up most of it thereby leaving very little to keep up his cheery smart aleck facade. He ran his hand through his hair and sat back in his chair, looking at the mess of books and papers spread out over his kitchen counter. He paused for a moment, rolling his eyes towards the heavens, before pulling out his cell. He didn't bother to look at the phone while he dialed; his fingers knew the number well enough without conscious effort.

"Hello?"

"Hey, you want to look over those books on the U.S. Government that Jason scored for us on his last book-hunt?"

"I thought you had a date tonight."

"Yeah, well, things didn't go according to plan. Are coming over?"

He could almost hear the wheels turning in Max's mind, processing the implications and possible consequences.

"Yeah. I've managed to scrounge up a few of my own so maybe we'll find something new."

His lips quirked upward slightly at the uncertainty in her voice, the awkward edge in her tone. He loved making her feel uncomfortable, not in a bad way though. It simply amused him to put things, conversations or situations, in such a way that made Max uncomfortable because she wasn't used to the feeling and didn't know how to handle it. More often than not, her way of dealing with uncomfortable situations was to flee or brush it off with violence (which was more avoiding than dealing). It was fun to push her buttons.

"I'm going to head Hell and pick up a case of beer, so just let yourself in when you get here. I'll even leave it unlocked so you don't wind up busting my door again."

"It was in my way and you weren't answering."

Alec chuckled, almost able to see a semblance of a smile on her lips. "Alright, so I'll see you when you get here?"

"Yeah. Hey, wait, have you eaten dinner yet?"

Alec paused to think about it, realizing that he'd planned on doing that with Carmon but never actually ate after he canceled.

"No, not yet. I got so wrapped up that I kind of forgot."

"I'll stop by the Mess Hall and pick up a pizza then. I don't think I've eaten since this morning, before the council meeting."

Alec grinned "Pizza and beer? Sounds 'bout like heaven to me right now. I'll see you in 15."

"'Kay, see you then."

Alec hung up, an amused grin on his face. If it was anyone but Max, Alec would've sworn it was a date. Well, minus the books on government, anyway. He shrugged on his jacket and left the apartment at a clipped pace, mentally preparing his argument for convincing Rogue to give him a case of beer. The barkeep was notoriously stingy, and was completely obsessed with Max. Alec could no longer keep track of the number of times Max had turned him down. Regardless, he would have to manage. Maybe he'd even use Rogue's crush on Max to his advantage. Yeah. That could work.

* * *

Max hung up and sat there for a moment, contemplating the decision she had made. Originally, it had been her plan to decline. It was weird, uncomfortable. With all of their past history, Max had grown closer to Alec but with that kind of intimacy came awkwardness. She hadn't been herself lately, and it was disconcerting to know that Alec knew something was wrong, so she'd been trying to avoid him in close quarters lest he start prying. And now, she'd agreed to meet him at his apartment with pizza, and beer, alone.

She shook herself out of her reverie, determined to not over think things like she was prone to do. She dressed quickly, throwing on a washed out pair of jeans and warm long sleeved shirt. She briefly contemplated straightening her hair but decided to let it fall into the curls that came naturally since she didn't have time. She left her apartment unlocked, determining that no one in TC would try and steal from her; they were entirely too scared. Blurring, she rushed to get to the Mess Hall before it closed for the night. With a little pouting, and possibly some eyelash batting, she could probably convince the cook to make a pizza.

Alec strolled casually into Hell, grinning ear to ear and greeting people cheerfully as they said hello or slapped him on the back. He stopped a few feet short of the bar, watching Rogue from the corner of his eye; he didn't look happy at all. Mole, who had been sitting at the table behind Alec, commented "You know Princess, you don't ask then you don't get. You're kind of pretty; I don't think he'd say no."

Alec paused and snorted before turning around to roll his eyes at Mole, a smirk on his face. "I need a case of beer. Max and I are going to talk about how the hell we're going to get out of the legal bullshit we're in."

"That's all you're going to talk about? Because, it seems to me, getting a case of beer seems like a way to soften her up for something you're planning on doing, probably something she won't like."

Alec's eyes narrowed. "When did you get so insightful? Don't you have guns to polish or people to shoot?"

"Easy there Princess, that's not what I was talking about. Max hasn't been the same lately, she hasn't been herself. Now, no one else may notice it, most would probably even call it a blessing, but you and I both know that something's wrong."

Alec said nothing, refusing to give Mole what he was looking for; confirmation that Alec was planning on worming it out of her.

Mole lit a cigar and chuckled. "I'll distract him. You grab it and run."

* * *

Roughly ten minutes later, Max exited the mess hall carrying a hot pizza, happy that Jack hadn't asked any questions when she asked him for it. The smell was making her mouth water and her stomach rumble pleasantly. She knew that she should be eating more often, especially given the fact that she was stressed and her body needed nourishment to keep up with itself. She snorted then, realizing that Alec would probably flay her alive if he found out how little she was eating.

It was somewhat annoying, the way he hovered and followed. It was kind of nice though, in some ways; having someone care about her. She knew that others cared about her of course, but they didn't _care_. Not like Alec did. She still wanted to put his head through a wall most of the time, but it gave her some stability knowing that with all the people she was taking care of, there was still someone to take care of her. She shook herself out of her reverie and walked more quickly towards Alec's apartment, determined to get there before the pizza cooled.

Alec had arrived back at his apartment before she did, though not without purpose. Mole had created quite a distraction. Bar fights always pissed Rogue off, especially when he was on duty. Still, even as he escaped out the back with a case of beer, he wished he could've stuck around to watch Rogue try to through Mole out of the bar. He could hardly help the feral grin that sprung simply from the thought.

He tidied up a little bit, clearing away all of the excess papers and stacking them into a pile. Aside from the mess of paperwork, there wasn't much else to clean; his apartment was always kept militarily clean. He heard her coming long before she actually arrived at the door, and took a moment to wonder how long she would wait outside his door. Much to his amusement, she didn't wait. She didn't even knock. The door opened and Max walked in, balancing the pizza in one hand and 4 very sinister looking text books in the other. She smiled at him and Alec could tell it was genuine, if a bit tired.

He held the door open for her and took the books from her arms. She set the pizza down on the counter and shrugged off her jacket, laying it on the kitchen bar stool. She cracked the pizza box open and laid it amongst the textbooks on the coffee table. Alec sat on the ground across from her, offering a beer as he cracked open his own. She accepted it and ate her first slice of pizza in silence.

The meal continued without much conversation between the two, but neither was uncomfortable. It was only after several hours of research that Alec finally found something. He reread the words carefully, trying not to give himself false hope.

"Max..."

She looked up from her own book, thoughts of dinner and conversation long forgotten.

"I think I found a loophole..."

"For...?"

"Terminal City's problem."

"Well that's very specific Alec. Which _one_?"

"The one with the United States military breathing down our necks."

She raised her eyebrows. "Go on,"

"Diplomatic immunity, Max. Ever since the Pulse hit, the government put into effect the Peace of Sovereignty Act from the UN, so the population wouldn't starve due to poor trade negotiations. It declares that so long as the law is in effect, the United States cannot engage in any military operation that politically, economically, or physically harms any sovereign nation."

Max gave him a dry look before sighing. "Alec...I don't know if you've forgotten, but we live in a city within Seattle, Washington, U.S.A. We aren't a sovereign nation."

"Ah, but we can be. The POS Act had so much pork in the bill, that there were several little things that were... over-looked for the sake of getting it passed. One of those things was article 763, which basically stated that any territory within the United States that did not contribute something to the whole of the country could separate itself from the country."

Max cocked her head to the side, her features beginning to light up with the prospect. She paused for a moment before asking "Why was it even put in there, then? How did it not get taken out of the bill? Something like that could ruin the country."

"Well, according to this, Alexander Medina, a senator of California, was sympathetic to the ever growing wave of Mexican immigrants entering our borders. He put it in the bill, supposedly, to give them a...home away from home, a way for them to escape the ever growing persecution and racism. It was left in the bill because they needed Medina's vote to get it passed, and they figured that since virtually every single town in this country contributes something, it would never actually be able to be used."

Max could hardly feel her self breathing. "But since we, presently in Terminal City, don't actually contribute anything to their society economically..."

"We have an open door to sovereignty."

They paused a moment after this realization, letting themselves absorb this new turn of events. Max blurred over the coffee table and body slammed Alec into the back of the couch, her arms wrapping tightly around his neck. He felt himself go into momentary shock as Max hugged him until he was breathless, having never really experienced Max being the touchy feely person. He hugged her back and stood up suddenly, swinging her around. They laughed and laughed and laughed, and laughed like they'd never been able to before.

And for the first time in a very, very long time, Max felt that _finally_ something was going to be alright. She knew there were going to be challenges ahead of her, but she really felt comfortable with this. With this loophole, she wouldn't have to worry about her people being persecuted, or if someone was going to kill her if she made a decision they didn't like. This was purely a good thing, with only positive outcomes for the future.

And, she was right. Theoretically, this only provided for a brighter future. But the thing that always needs to be remembered when dealing with loopholes, the thing that most people think of first when they're offered a deal that seems too good to be true, is that there is _always_ a catch.

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**Yes, I know it's a bit slow in the beginning. Bare with me! Review please?**


	2. The Catch

**AN: Hey everyone! I'd like to say thanks to Ani-maniac494 AKA Laughter, Sorrel2009, clumsybookgirl13, and Hall for reviewing and everyone who alerted and/or added it to their favorites list. I'm happy that you enjoyed it and hope that you will continue to enjoy it as the story progresses. **

**Just a warning, this chapter was troublesome to write, so please forgive me if Alec and Max seem a little bit...OOC. First person to guess where I borrowed the idea of love in time (you'll get it once you read it) will get the next chapter sent to them in advance, once it's finished. Please review and critique. I found a couple of typos in the first chapter that I missed the first time around, so if you see anything misspelled, please let me know. **

**Disclaimer: ****All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

Chapter 2: The Catch (AKA the Fly in the Ointment, or the Mouse in the Plumb Sauce)

After their discovery of the loophole, Max and Alec made the (somewhat unwise) decision to party like it was 2000. With all of the joy they felt at finally catching a break, how could they do something other than get hammered and act stupid? It hadn't been too difficult, actually. After slamming the remnants of the beer, they snuck into Moles private store and helped themselves to some of his home brew.

In hindsight, in the morning, they would realize that that was probably a _really_ bad idea. As it was, the two gaily spent their night singing songs in a drunken stupor, perfectly content with each other's company, and utterly unconcerned with the images they had given their neighbors during their little escapade. They partied well into the night, and hadn't felt as comfortable as they did then than either had in years.

Well, at least until they woke up in the morning in bed together with little to no clothes on. Then the hyperventilating and 'Oh my god' speeches began to swim to the surface. Neither could remember what happened last night, courtesy of Mole's infamous brew, and both were ready to bang their heads against a wall; Max didn't want to remember what happened last night, and Alec was beyond irritated that he couldn't. As the awkward silence settled in, all they could do was look at each other and try to keep their eyes level.

* * *

Of course, neither heard Mole sniggering outside the apartment door. He wore a feral grin and whistled as he walked away. "That'll teach 'em to steal. You'd think that, even drunk, they would've remembered that I always spike the ones in the front to discourage thieves."

* * *

Max slowly let her self fall back onto the bed, trying desperately to remember what happened last night. Slowly, things started coming back to her. After a few more minutes of memories trickling in, she sat straight up and breathed a sigh of relief. Alec looked at her questioningly.

"We didn't sleep together, thank God!"

Alec raised an eyebrow and delicately gestured to their lack of clothes. "We were, er, messing around in Block C. We were mock sparring and may have...tipped over a few paint cans. You fell and then pulled me down with you."

Well, at least that explained the lack of clothes. His mind briefly went back to her previous statement and couldn't help but feel somewhat angry with her for it. He slid out of bed and dressed quickly.

"Alec, is something wrong?"

He snorted as he finished buttoning up his shirt. "No, Max, everything is just peachy."

A brief glimmer of hurt flashed before her eyes but was gone in an instant. "What is your problem?"

"My problem is _you_, Max. Is nothing I do good enough for you?"

Her mouth popped open before the confusion set in. "_What_ are you talking about?

His mouth twisted in irritation and he couldn't help the sarcastic, disbelieving chuckle that escaped him. "You can't even admit it to yourself, can you? The fact that you still think I'm a screw up, that I'm untrustworthy and undependable."

"Alec, where the hell is this coming from? I don't think that at all."

"Don't you? Then, please, give me one good reason why you were so overjoyed to discover that we hadn't slept together. Would it really have been so terrible? Are you so ashamed of me?"

Max pulled on her jeans more quickly than she had thought possible. "Of course not, Alec! But we work together, and I don't want to be just another notch on your bedpost!"

He visibly recoiled at that, and Max instantly regretted saying it. "Well...nice to know what you actually think of me Maxie." She sighed, her hangover now 10 times worse than it had been before.

"Alec...I didn't mean it like that. I just... We're friends, Alec, really good friends. And we've finally gotten to the point where I trust you unconditionally and it scared me to think that that could be gone in a moments notice by one rash decision."

"Why would you think our friendship would be gone if it happened?"

"...I'm a one man girl, Alec. And, don't take offense to this, but you're a many girl man. I can't and won't settle for being one of the many. If we had slept together, the nature of our relationship would have changed and I don't think it would've been in a good way."

He felt his pride bristle a little once more, but he could see where she was coming from. She was right. If they'd slept together, the camaraderie that he had spent years developing would've changed drastically into something else. The fact that they ran T.C. together also had a part to play. He was, however, still a little miffed that she hadn't given him the benefit of the doubt on the matter of monogamy.

Max finished dressing and gingerly touched his arm, barely a brush, before she walked out. He followed her and came to stand next to her as she leaned over the railing, reveling in the cool breeze. She groaned slightly as she looked out at their city, which had only just begun to spring to life. Her face became so sad and downright gloomy that he was almost concerned about it.

"What?"

"I have to work today."

He paused for a moment, trying to match the sentence with the expression on her face. She looked like she'd just seen her puppy get hit by a car, because she didn't want to go to work. He found it hilarious and he simply couldn't stop himself from cracking up.

"What are you laughing at? _You_ have to work too, with that big monster headache of yours."

"What big monster headache?"

"...This one." She flicked the side of his head rather gently and he was sure she was joking...until his stomach started rolling. Then, with the way his stomach was rolling, came the drums in his head and the nausea in his throat. He groaned and looked at Max pathetically.

"We're the leaders....can't we skip for a day?"

She gave him a wry look and walked away, something of a bounce in her step. He sighed dramatically and followed her, trying to stay vertical. "Of course we can't. Heaven forbid we take a break like the rest of the workers in T.C. We're Superman and Wonderwoman, after all, we don't stop we just do and do and do and do and keep on doing."

He literally ran into the back of her and looked down at her from where he was on the staircase. "What?"

"Quit whining Alec; it's unbecoming." The last part pronounced with a sickly sweet tone.

He moaned dramatically before walking beside her and laying his head pathetically on her shoulder. She patted it gently. "We'll get some coffee when we get to command, okay?"

Alec mumbled his consent and began to think of elaborate ways to get back at Mole. They unconsciously straightened as they entered command, neither giving way to the unyielding pounding in their heads. Alec skipped up the last few steps of the platform, a disgustingly cheery expression on his face. They took their respective seats at the head of table, waiting as the rest of the council members filed in.

Max stood and vanished momentarily, Alec not really realizing that she had left until she had already returned with two cups of coffee in hand. The toasted each other and savored the coffee, crappy as it was. The rest of the council filed in slowly, eyeing Max and Alec warily. They had heard stories of their drunken escapades the night before, and were slightly perplexed to discover them sitting there as though it was any other day.

Mole was slightly disgruntled by how calm and unaffected they seemed, and made a mental note to continue toying with the lacing of the brew; the black out on memory was perfect, but the hangover aspect was obviously lacking. He wrote himself a note to remind himself to make it stronger.

Alec could barely hold back a stifled groan. This hangover was terrible, the worst he'd ever had. Max rose and began to speak, but Alec was trying to tune her out. His head already hurt too much. His curiosity was piqued when he saw her lean forward, a slightly more intimidating pose, when he realized that she was using the table to keep herself upright. Ha! He wasn't the only one suffering.

Max then sat back down, cueing Alec with a hand signal since she knew he hadn't been paying attention. Alec stood, quickly finding himself in the same position that Max had been in only moments ago; bracing his hands against the table to keep him vertical.

"Well, everyone, last night, Max and I...."

"We don't need to know the glorious details. We've known about you guys for awhile, Princess." Mole grinned as Alec gave him an irritated look. His momentary triumph was cut short when Max gave him a frosty glare, making him cough and put his head down in mock shame.

"As I was saying, Max and I found a loophole to our problem concerning the military outside our gates. A loophole that solves several problems but also creates others, though it's my belief that those will be easier to deal with."

Alec went on to explain the Peace of Sovereignty Act, article 763, and all about the Californian senator. The council listened to him speak and, as he finished his summary of their discovery, began to talk amongst themselves. Alec remained standing, though they had no idea how hard it was for him to not fall over. Max rose out of her seat and took his coffee cup, turning to get some more so they could continue to speak without groaning.

As she returned, the council fell into silence and looked towards their chosen leaders once more, this time for a plan.

"As Alec previously mentioned," Max took the spotlight as Alec nursed his second cup of coffee. "This loophole does create some...problems of its own, some questions that need answering. The biggest question we need to answer is what kind of government will this new sovereign nation be?"

The question seemed like an obvious one, and Dean made a point of saying so. He made a good case of democracy, a government modeled after that of the United States, but failed to see why Max had thought that this was even a question.

The answer, much to Max's surprise, came from Alec. "That's a great idea Dean! Democracy is good. So, which one of us do you want to be the president and vice president?"

The council members opened their mouths to answer, only to realize the point that Max had been trying to make in the first place, and began to talk amongst themselves. They would have to choose which of their leaders, who currently had equal power, would be dominant over the other. At this point in time, they knew both Max and Alec to be good and just leaders, but each had different values that balanced each other out.

If Alec were in charge, there was no doubt in anyone's mind that things would run smoothly enough, but then they thought of all the trouble he could inadvertently cause with all of the transgenic women in the city, all the bad publicity that could come from a one-night stand. Then, there was the matter of budget. They didn't doubt that he would ensure Terminal City's wellbeing first, but would he spend any excess money on practical things? And what if he was caught on one of his heists? It could cause an international conflict if word got out that the leader of the transgenics was a thief, and stealing on U.S. soil.

If Max was president, they knew she would do her best to protect everyone and keep everyone well, but she was something of a wildcard. People distrusted her because she was an 09er, and there was no guarantee that she wouldn't be attacked or killed because of that conflict. Then, there was the Eyes Only problem to deal with. While she and Logan were no longer dating, and Logan was no longer in T.C., they knew that she still did little missions for him here and there, and they could barely restrain a groan at the thought of word getting to the U.S. government that their leader was working with a reputed terrorist.

So, the original question was returned to. What kind of government would this be? They needed something where Max and Alec could maintain equal power (they need each other to be balanced out), but where the council could also retain power; it was no good having two harmonious dictators. Finally, and rather surprisingly, it was Mole who came up with the solution. He stood, a universal signal for attention, and waited for the room to fall silent.

"Dictatorship and Democracy would get us no where. We need all of us, council and leaders, to retain power. The solution is a happy medium between the two; a Monarchy."

Max and Alec looked up and then at each other, slightly perturbed at this turn of events, but waited to hear the rest of the council's responses.

"That's...actually a very good idea." Dix said, nodding his head.

"It would keep both Max and Alec in power, and we would keep office as well as a parliament of sorts." Dean stated, running the idea through his mind.

All in all, it seemed like everyone was in agreement...except Rogue.

"...Monarchy meaning King and Queen?" Rogue questions.

"Well that would be the general idea." Mole's voice was dry and brittle, an undercurrent of annoyance in his tone.

"Wouldn't that mean that they would have to get married first?"

_That_ got Max and Alec's full and undivided attention. They were frozen for a moment, the realization weighing heavily on their minds. Max's world slowly began to spin on its axis once more as she inhaled and exhaled slowly, regaining her mental composure. She worked hard to maintain her calm, realizing that everyone was looking at her like a bomb was about to explode. She opened her mouth to speak, but couldn't and found herself utterly...panicking. She shook her head violently before storming out of the room, eager to escape their unwavering and concerned glances.

Alec hurried after her, overturning his chair in the process. He was stopped though, as Mole gained a vice grip on his arm to keep him in place.

"We need her, Alec. We need her to go through with this." There was no playfulness in Mole's tone, no hint of sarcasm or amusement. He was completely serious.

Alec pulled his arm back and continued after Max, desperate to find her before she did something rash.... like taking off. He found her a few minutes later, rocking on top of the water tower.

"I can't," Her voice was soft and cracked, and he could tell she was nearly hysterical. "I just can't, Alec. It's not that it's you I would be marrying, so please don't let your pride get wounded over that."

"Max, it's just marriage. It's a formality, just a ring, a title, and the power that comes with it."

"But it's _not_ just a formality, Alec. Not to me. I know that it seems like another stupid dream to have, an _ordinary_ ideal, but it's so much more than that to me."

Alec frowned and sat beside her, not really understanding. "Max, I know that you had hopes that you and Logan might..."

She cut him off "Logan has nothing to do with this Alec. I couldn't even picture us married when we _were_ together," Alec felt a purr rising in his throat but coughed it down.

"When I first escaped from Manticore, I was put in foster care until I fled the system when I was 15. For years, I lived with couples who had been married for 30 or 40 or 50 years and I couldn't help but want it. It was the first thing, the very first thing, I ever wanted as a free person, Alec. I wanted the relationship that came with the ring and the name change."

Alec still didn't completely understand why it was such a big deal, but he understood what she meant about wanting something for the first time and holding onto the dream, only to find it completely out of reach. He would know better than anyone, after all. The first thing he had ever wanted with a _real_ semblance of humanity in him was sitting less than two feet from him.

"Max, I know how important this is to you. Really, I get it... but if we're going to survive, we being all the transgenics within Terminal City, we need this, Max. We need diplomatic immunity and all that comes with it, and for us to get that we need to be a monarchy. The council won't think of any other government that doesn't have both of us running it – front or back stage."

Max sniffled and rocked slightly, knowing he was right. She stood and turned, ready to go back and inform the council of her decision. It wasn't an easy one to make, but she knew that she had to be true to herself and to her what lay in the bottom of her heart. She began to walk away but felt Alec grab her arm, pulling her to him. She nearly stumbled, but found her self supported by strong arms on either side, keeping her steady.

"Alec!"

He shushed her and looked her, his face a few inches from hers. She took a deep breath and felt a little dizzy, not sure if it was a remnant of the hangover or the intense look in his green eyes.

"Marry me, Max," His voice was low and husky, almost pleading. "Marry me, and I promise that you'll get the relationship of 30 or 40 or 50 years that you really want. Marry me..."

Max felt her throat go dry, and knew that she should push him away. He no longer toed the line she had carefully drawn between them; he had pole-vaulted over it. His proximity to her was rendering her incapable of speech, and she was finding it difficult to remember all the reasons she had been relieved when she found out that they hadn't slept together.

"Marry me." His voice was hardly above a whisper, his head tilted forward ever so slightly. Max could hardly feel her self breathing, and suddenly understood why Alec had always been so popular with girls, even the ones who knew that it would never be anything more than a casual fling. His lips were less than an inch away from hers, but he went no further.

"Marry me, Max. Tell me you'll marry me..." His lips were hardly moving, but she heard the soft spoken request none the less. She began to feel impatient, and unable to fight the wave of growing dizziness and irritation and desire, she did the unthinkable. She kissed him.

* * *

From below, Mole watched all of this occur from the entryway of the Command center, smoking his last Cuban cigar. "_Finally_ he kisses her. I swear, if their unresolved sexual tension got any tighter, I could've played a fiddle tune with it," he snorted, rolling his eyes. Those two were so hopeless.

His lips quirked into a grin that could only be described as feral, "He may get her to marry him at this moment, but he's going to have to step up his game if he's going to get her to the altar when she finds out about the next issue. Succession ain't any fun in a monarchy, after all."


	3. Truths Held to Be SelfEvident

**A/n: So, ironically enough, the person to get the hint/clue can't receive the chapter in advance. Congratulations and apologies to you, Lurker Neevy. For everyone who tried, they were interesting guesses but there was only one actual answer. People took the clue 'love in time' and ran with it, but the real clue was in this story when Alec was talking about the love of '30 or 40 or 50 years'. I was referring to the Bones episode that had occurred on the Thursday prior to last chapter.**

**Lame and cross-referencing I know, but they had a similar scene in Bones and I had to use it. **

**Thanks so much to: angel494, Mrs Max McDowell, ****PL-LovesDAandSPNForever946****, Sorrel2009, clumsybookgirl13, Hall, Ani-maniac494, Max452, Punkie, Lurker Neevy, and SakuraAkira365 for reviewing.** **I think that's the most reviews I've ever gotten for a single chapter! And I do so **_**love**_** reviews.**

**Also, thanks to everyone who favorited/alerted this story. I would include names, but it's a terribly long list and I can't be sure of who alerted after chapter 1. **

**I'm sorry I haven't updated in over a month, but things have been really hectic in my life right now. For those of you who don't know (probably the majority) I'm a junior in high school, I take AP Classes and finals and Sat/ACT in less than 1 month. I've been cramming like hell!**

**So after this incredibly long authors note, I hope you will enjoy this chapter and review when you're finished.

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**

**Disclaimer: ****All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended****.

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**

Chapter 3: The Truths Held to Be Self-Evident

_Three things that cannot long be hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth. - Buddha_

Max drew herself away from him, unsure of how to act or what she was going to say. All of a sudden, she began remembering the things that she had forgotten when he kissed her, all the reasons why being together would be troublesome. She was conflicted about it, and her personality rebelled against it; something wasn't right. She backed further away, shaking her head.

"I'll marry you Alec, and we'll run this nation together, but please don't make promises you can't keep..." She slid down the ladder abnormally quickly, desiring to put some distance between them. She needed to think, and she couldn't do that properly with him around.

Alec stood on the tower, glancing out at the remnants of America, pondering about this new turn of events. She'd kissed him, been the first one to make a move....just like he'd planned it. It had been a low blow, an unfair punch, but it had been necessary. He knew that she would've been able to control herself if he had been the one to kiss her, she could justify her actions afterward. He knew that it had been smart to subtly push her to do it, invading her personal space and promising her the world, making it seem like the choice was hers.

He felt low, liked he'd just kicked a puppy. Max hadn't even had time to properly process everything that had happened before he slammed her with more information, more choices to make. All the decisions had been made in a split second, and suddenly her life flashed before her eyes. He knew what she saw; a lifetime of friendly cooperation, and nothing else. Because of the nature of the monarchy, they would be bound together in matrimony, something more binding to a transgenic than anything else.

Due to the councils adamant stance that they both need to run the government with equal power, they would never escape one another for all eternity. When transgenics marry, not just signing a piece of paper, but the true aspect of matrimonium, it was for life. For better or for worse, no pun intended, they would be bound together, unable to ever take comfort in another person. It's the reason most transgenics never marry; you don't get a do-over.

Then as if the 'being-bound-together-for-the-rest-of-our-not-inconsiderably-long-life-spans provided-we-don't-get-killed-by-White' aspect of it wasn't bad enough, Alec hadn't even begun to breech the subject of succession. Though some monarchy's elect their successor, Alec knew the council would never go for it; in the event of their deaths, infighting would begin and tear the nation apart. It would be politically easier if it were a hereditary monarchy. That was going to be difficult to sell to Max.

It's undeniable that Max was a martyr in the making, that she would give up her life and happiness in the event it would help her people, but to condemn her own children to that fate? And, that's even supposing she'd agree to go through with it once she learned of the fact that it _wouldn't _just be marriage of friendly cooperation: they would have to have kids. Alec had a strange feeling, a very strong sensation, that Max would probably prove less than amiable when it came up. He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck, wondering how long it would be before he could search for her and not get his head ripped off.

* * *

Max returned to her apartment, chilled to the bone. It was cold inside her apartment; she hadn't had the opportunity to turn the heat on the night before. It was midday and she was already ready to go to bed. She was tired and mentally drained, unable to process everything that had taken place. Diplomacy, the loophole, the idea of becoming a monarchy...it was all too much.

Then, adding more fuel to the fire, she had kissed Alec! It would have been different if he had kissed her because she could blame it on 'getting caught up in the moment', but she was the one initiated the kiss and caused 'the moment'. And, to top it all off, she had agreed to marry him! It was one thing to agree to it politically, it was necessary after all, but under the circumstances that she had agreed to it... She had been going to say yes, to inform the council that she would marry him, but then he had to go and _propose_. It changed everything.

Her decision was still the same, but now it was far more complicated then it should have been. What if they tried being a couple and it didn't work? They were transgenics, royal ones; they can't get a do-over where marriage is concerned, politically or otherwise. It could lead to a lifetime of misery for both of them, though a nagging voice in the back of her mind told her it most certainly wouldn't be. She flopped onto her couch with an exasperated sigh.

Then, as if all of that wasn't enough to deal with, came the other issue with a monarchy; succession. To tell the truth, it had been the very first thing she thought of when they said monarchy, until the word 'marriage' popped out of Rogue's mouth. She knew what would be expected of her, remembered as much from European history crash courses in Manticore. Though most of those focused on military strategies, it included broad background knowledge of history in the event of being trained for assassination.

She had always hoped that, someday, she might find her love of 50 years and settle down, but had long since given up thinking about it, what with the uncertainty of being killed or too busy. Now, it looked as though she might get half of her dream. She didn't doubt that Alec would try to make her happy, but years of hardship hardly left her room for hope. Once again, in the face of indecision, she wished Zack was there.

Max had known at some point, though she couldn't remember when she realized it exactly, that she wasn't cut out to be a leader. She had plenty of heart and courage, she cared about her people, but she didn't have the mettle for it. She simply didn't have it in her to make the tough decisions, to let one of her people die for her even if she could prevent it. She would be far better suited to background things, running operations from the sidelines, an SIC at most.

Now, she had no choice. Alec would make an excellent leader, he was born and trained to be one, but he needed balancing out. That was the real reason they wanted Max in power: to balance Alec out. It didn't bother her as much as she thought it would, less of an insult to her pride. It was a good thing they were getting married soon... if she was pregnant, it would be believable. She snorted, rolling to her side and snuggling deeper into the couch. They had slept together last night, it was a fact.

She lied through her teeth because she had been afraid that the dynamics of their relationship would change. She would have preferred to just say nothing and go about their lives, not willing to risk the closeness and friendship that had developed. She knew Alec wasn't the tom cat anymore, knew he was responsible, but couldn't have him trying to remember the night before; she needed to distract him from thinking about it. She shifted once more, unable to get comfortable. She needed advice, needed to speak to someone who had once been made to make a tough decision.

How was she to handle the situation, it was sure to be awkward as it was, when Alec found out that they _had_ slept together, that Max lied to him? Great way to start off a marriage. She eased herself into sitting before standing up slowly, exiting her apartment in search of advice and company.

* * *

Alec pulled up a barstool in Hell, ordering a straight shot of whiskey. He swirled the amber liquid in his glass, staring into it as though it contained all the answers. He downed it quickly, setting the glass back down with a clank. He ordered another and ignored the suggestive glances he was getting from several women around the bar. He was hardly in the mood to entertain, and wouldn't even if he was; he and Max had already as good as said 'I do'. He didn't want to start off their marriage, their future, with something that could jeopardize a happy existence.

Carmon slid into the seat next to him, looking at him thoughtfully. He graciously spared her a glance, though it was somewhat cold.

"You canceled on me last night," Carmon stated, though there was no malice in her tone. She was watching him with a sweet smile on her face, despite the fact that he was ignoring her.

"You canceled on me last night," she continued "to spend time with Max."

He paused in the studious swirling of his glass, still saying nothing.

Carmon sighed and laughed, her very laughter a melody and revealing the sweet nature beneath. She stood, shaking her head, and kissed the side of his head before mussing his hair. "I hope she's worth it, Alec."

She left him there, determined to figure out what was going on, though she had heard well enough from Dean. She wanted to hear what was going on from Max's point of view; something had their fearless leaders drifting and unsettled.

Alec breathed a sigh of relief when Carmon left, happy that he didn't have to worry about her. She was a sweet girl, but she liked to meddle and nudge people when she thought she was doing the right thing. His thoughts wandered to Max again, as they so often did, and downed the last of his drink. They needed to talk about this. If they waited too long, the distance would only grow. As he was leaving the bar, he bumped into a rather agitated Mole.

"Alec, the council's made some decisions..."

"What decisions?"

"Decisions about the wedding, Alec; it's going to be held next month."

"Next month? Are you fucking crazy? Max and I have barely had time to get used to the idea! We only just discovered the loophole last night for God's sake, and now you're pushing it on us?"

"Hey! I tried, Princess. You're lucky you have a month; most of the council wanted it done in a week."

"A week? Don't they realize that we're living people, that this affects us socially, not just politically?"

"They know, Alec, but they're worried. We all are. Sector police are growing more and more bold every day, and those cult freaks are being awfully quiet. We need diplomatic immunity, Alec, as soon as possible."

Alec ran a hand over his face, rubbing the back of his neck. "She's only just agreed to marry me, Mole, I haven't even spoken to her about succession yet."

"Well, you might want to get on that Princess. And, if you really meant what you said to her last night, about giving her the love of a lifetime-"

"You were eavesdropping?" Alex glared at him.

Mole returned the glare with a wry look. "You might want to try dating first, pretty boy. Use the next month to ease into the relationship. But, if I were you, I'd bring up succession first and get it over and done with; no good can come of it being sprung on her later."

"Right." Alec sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose to get rid of the impending headache. That sounded vaguely like a plan, and a good one. Alec frowned for a moment, raising an eyebrow at Mole.

"What?" Mole growled, a tone of 'don't even think about it' edging into his voice.

"Where's all this feel good relationship advice coming from," Alec grinned roguishly. "Have you been holding out on me, Mole?

"No!"

"No? I'm hurt, Mole. I thought you were really interested in all the things I was telling you." Mole spun to see Gem standing behind him, cradling Hope on her shoulder.

Alec began to laugh, unable to hold it back. Mole glared at him before turning back to Gem, looking sheepish. He held his arms out and Gem handed Hope to him, giving him a wry look. Mole bounced Hope on his hip, appeasing the two year-olds restless nature. Alec received a sour look from Mole as he tried to pull back the grin that fought to escape.

"Get out of here and get your girl before someone else does."

Alec paused a moment, turning to Mole with an apprehensive and questioning glance.

"Max is growing ever popular, Princess, and a month is a long ways away. She could still change her mind, especially if one of her many lapdogs convinced her it would be better for the both of ye'."

Alec snorted in disbelief, a slightly cocky grin on his face. "No ones dared push Max for it since she threw the last lapdog _through_ a wall. Plus, Max has a pretty high moral high ground. I don't think she'd cheat on her fiancé."

Mole shifted Hope onto his other hip, shaking his head. "You've only been engaged for a couple of hours, Princess. What's more, you're not really a couple anyway," The last part was said in a mockingly sarcastic tone.

Alec gave him an irritated glance before heading out, but paused as Mole called out to him. "I'm not joking Alec! Watch your back, and having someone keep an eye on your front probably wouldn't be a terrible idea."

"Thank you for your heartfelt concern, Mole, but I think me and my affairs will be just fine."

"Sure thing, but you might consider what I've said, especially since our bartender took the day off today."

Alec turned around, ready to end the conversation, when he noticed that Mole was right: Rogue wasn't behind the counter. It was one of the waitress', Alexa. He'd been so wrapped up in self-pity and guilt that he hadn't even noticed. His eyes scanned the bar, searching for the familiar face, but didn't find it. His eyes met Moles, which held a knowing glint. He ushered out of the bar, vaguely hearing Mole tell Hope he was going to teach her how to load a sawed-off.

* * *

Max had gone in search of her sister, Jace, and found her where she always was around this time of day; the nursery. Her son, Max, was about three now, and perfectly content to run his mother in circles. She often dropped him off on her way to the barracks, where she taught the younger generations of transgenics to fight. Max hadn't been too keen on the idea, at first, but she saw the sense in it; the world needed time to adjust, and it might be a few generations before it would be safe for transgenics to _not_ know how to fight.

She stood outside the room, leaning her forehead against the glass window. Would her children play as these kids did, would they get to? Or, like she and their father before them, would they be indoctrinated to do their duty from birth? She honestly didn't know, and it scared her. It scared her to think that whatever children she may have could be forced into a life they didn't want to lead, as she had been.

She hadn't heard Jace appear next to her, and didn't realize she was crying until she crumbled into her sister's arms. Her sister held her, making soothing noises as she had done when Max was sick as a small child. Max finally felt the tremors stop and relaxed, feeling more tired than she had in a long time. Her sister said nothing, merely stroked her hair and waited for Max to talk.

Max explained everything about what had happened, in detail, no less. The loophole, the council's decision on a monarchical government, and her fears for her children. As Max's ranting and sputtering came to a close, she leaned against the wall for support, away from her sister's embrace.

"What do I do?"

Jace smiled sadly. "I can't tell you what to do, Max."

"Why?"

"Well, first of all, I highly doubt you'd listen to me; you don't _like_ being told what to do, and have issues with authority,"

Max let out a watery chuckled, her sister earning a small smile.

"Secondly, it's a decision you have to make for yourself. Max, I think you know what your life would be like with Alec. I have no opinion on it, but can only say this: You know him, Max, probably better than anyone. Thinking in terms of who he is, good, bad, or indifferent, what would your life be like with him and your children."

Max paused for a moment, closing her eyes, and then she could see it. Behind her eyelids, doing as her sister recommended, she could see them as a family. She could see herself and Alec, standing side by side, with smiles on their faces. There was love in his eyes, genuine adoration held only for her. In front of them, she could see kids, four of them to be exact. Three boys, one set of rambunctious twins, and a girl. The girl was the youngest of all of them, maybe only a year old. She had short curly brown hair, hazel eyes, and smile that simply said 'I order you to love me! Thank you for obeying me, in advance. Would you like a cupcake?'

The eldest, a lone boy, was Alec's spitting image. What she imagined he would have looked like as a normal child, at about 6 years old. His hair was dirty-blond, styled like his father's, and his green eyes sparkled with mischief. The twins, about 4 years old, also looked like their father, though a hint of their mother could be seen in the warm chocolate of their irises. As their children scampered through the park, not more than a few feet away from their home, Alec watched until they were happily distracted before kissing her senseless.

Max opened her eyes, suddenly feeling a little disoriented. She closed them again, this time focusing on all of the negative possibilities of the future, of his bad traits, and waited for the vision to come... Except, it didn't. Try as she might, focusing solely on all the things that could go wrong, no vision appeared. Nothing. She opened her eyes once more, this time looking at Jace. All Jace could do was smile and shrug her shoulders.

"More often than not, baby sister, we always know the right answer; we just need our subconscious to jog our memory."

How true that was. This was no parlor trick, no outside influences telling her what to do or thing, no ill-fated attempt to sway her decision. The vision had come straight from within, with all the knowledge she held, and that was what it showed her. She smiled broadly, feeling more comfortable with the decision she had made than any decision she had made before, including the one to leave Manticore. She hugged her sister and thanked her, jogging away with confidence in her step.

As she turned the corner, her newly-acquired confidence vanished without a trace. Her step faltered, uncertainty slowing her to a standstill. Her breath was caught in her throat, and it was difficult for her contemplate what she was seeing.

"...Zack?"

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**Meh. I'm not entirely pleased with this chapter- it's one of **_**those**_** chapters, the go-betweens. Necessary, and slightly boring. I love Zack, I really do. I wasn't going to bring him in but...I couldn't help myself. I'm sorry. V.V I have no self control.**

**By the way, I'm a little curious/concerned, are Max and Alec a little too...eloquent? I notice as I was writing it that I have a tendency to write speech properly, with very little slang or relaxed speech. Does it bug you guys? I try and rough it up a little for Mole, but it doesn't come naturally to me...**

**Anyway, please review and I will update A.S.A.I.C.**


	4. The Rise

**A/n: So, I'm happy everyone was pleased with the update. I know it was a boring chapter, and I'm sorry about that. It's a necessary evil, I'm afraid. As to the concerns about Zack...Well, all I can say about his involvement is that he is NOT the one you need to be worrying about.**

**I do like Bones as a show, mostly because I like David Boreanaz from the good ol' days of Angel and Buffy. **

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed/alerted! I will try to update more quickly. In the mean time, please be patient and dream happy dreams of blonde-hair hazel-eyed kids.**

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**Disclaimer:****All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

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Chapter 4: The Rise…

"_There is nothing impossible to him who will try." – Alexander the Great_

"Hey, baby sister." Zack smiled warmly, holding is arms out in a welcoming gesture. Max ran and hugged him tightly, pulling away after a moment to look at him with suspicious concern.

"I'm not going to go psycho and try to kill your boyfriend again, Max."

Max smiled. "I hope not... I've missed you too much when you were out of reach. Oh, and Logan isn't my boyfriend anymore."

Zack rolled his eyes and gave her a wry grin. "Uh-huh, like I haven't heard that before."

"I'm serious, Zack, we broke up over a year ago. Though, you should probably know, I'm getting married."

Zack frowned in confusion, looking at Max as though she'd lost her mind. "You just said that you and Logan broke up!"

"Me. She's marrying me." Alec wore a mischievous grin, one that was designed to irritate and infuriate.

Max looked over her brother's shoulder to see Alec approaching them, and smiled. She was calm now, more collected than she had been earlier in the day, even moments before Zack arrived. Unbeknown to Max, Zack was giving Alec the evil eye and mouthed 'We'll talk later' over her shoulder.

He briefly touched her arm to get her attention back before moving away. "I'm going to say hi to Jace and give Max his birthday present. I'll leave you and lover boy alone for awhile."

Max was a bit disappointed that he was leaving her already, that it was something of an anticlimactic reunion, but smiled and nodded anyway, knowing that she would see him later. Alec paused for a moment, his head cocked to the side in momentary confusion, before walking forward to stand in front of Max.

"Hey..." Max smiled at him, looking more serene and at peace than Alec had ever seen her.

"We need to talk."

"Well, that's never good..." Max said, chuckling.

Alec tried to smile, but could only bring himself to a half smile. He swallowed, trying to figure out how he was going to phrase it.

"The council has made some decisions regarding our wedding."

"Oh, like what?"

"Well, for starters, it's, uh, happening next month."

She froze, blinking rapidly, her face going sheet white. "Next month? Isn't that a little...soon?" She choked the last word out, her perfect peace suddenly shattered.

He nodded, pulling her into a hug. "They're worried, Max. Everyone's worried. The council thinks it would be best if we got married quickly, so the diplomatic immunity could be put in place. Things have been quiet lately, too quiet, and they're afraid that it's the calm before the storm."

Max allowed Alec to hug her, silently reveling in the warmth and comfort it brought, before pulling away. She swallowed and forced a smile. "Guess that doesn't leave much time for planning then, does it?"

"No, it doesn't." He gave a small chuckle and once again found himself admiring how strong she truly was. He cleared his throat uncomfortably before bracing himself to bring up the next topic of conversation. "There's something else we need to talk about, Max. I would have preferred to wait, but the council seemed to think the sooner the better that we talk about it."

"'It'? What is 'it' exactly?"

"Succession."

"Oh right. That."

"They're giving us two years to produce an heir. As much as diplomatic immunity will bring security to us, it _will_ put us in danger."

Max couldn't stop herself from snorting. "That's not exactly a new concept Alec."

He smiled, briefly gracing her with the wry grin that melted so many hearts.

"Anyway, Max, we haven't really had time to discuss our children's futures and the roles they'll wind up playing in the future…" He kept talking, but Max kind of tuned him out. He said children. Plural. As in, more than one. And he did it without being prompted. Max wondered in the back of her mind, if he saw the same thing that she had seen. Had he imagined the family and the marriage that they would have? Fantasized about it?

"Max?"

Max blinked suddenly, giving Alec a sheepish smile. "Sorry. I'm still a little…star struck with the whole marriage thing, and the kid thing, and the Zack-showing-up-then-disappearing-just-as-quickly-thing."

He rolled his eyes playfully before mock glaring at, folding his arms. He put on his best, most stern 'Max' face he could muster before beginning to say "You are so irresponsible and immature! You never listen to a thing I say." Mimicking Max's voice with a high pitched whine.

Max giggled and smacked him. "You're terrible. Come on smart-aleck, we still have to prove we're royalty."

"What?"

Max shrugged. "Think about it. Do you really think that the government is going to let us just declare ourselves a monarchy without any proof that we're actually of royal blood?"

"I guess it really hadn't occurred to me. I just got so excited about making everyone measure things by the size of my foot, I completely forgot about the bloodline stuff."

Max stared at him with disbelieving eyes. She shook her head and grabbed the collar of his shirt, dragging him towards central. At the very least, she would never be bored.

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**A/n- EEK! Don't kill me! (hides behind bush from mob) Since my inspiration comes in spurts, I've given up on purposely trying to get my chapters to any one length. There are plenty of good fics out there that update short chapters multiple times a week. I think I'll give it a shot. Please review! It's my inspiration. And don't kill me. That would be bad.**


	5. Trust

**A/n: Thank you so much for the reviews! I hope you enjoy the new chapter.**

**Special shout out to Mrs Max McDowell: Thanks for the cookies! They gave me the much needed sugar rush to complete the chapter. My muse, otherwise known as Puck, gives his thanks as well.**

**Special shout out to MrsTripTucker: The wedding is going to be…interesting, at the very least. And no worries- OC will show up before long, maybe in the next three chapters or so. No worries about the pushyness, I appreciate suggestions! :)

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**Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

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Chapter 5: Trust

"_Few delights can equal the presence of one whom we trust utterly." George MacDonald_

Alec allowed himself to be dragged, watching Max out of the corner of his eye. She seemed fine on the outside, but he could see the storm brewing behind her eyes. Whatever inner peace she had achieved moments ago was starting to fade, replaced with worry and anxiety and doubt. He himself was having difficulty adjusting to the idea. He was fine on the outside, the trademark smile in place, but his stomach was in perpetual knots.

He almost wondered if he wasn't having a mid-life crisis. In one month, his life would drastically change and never be the same. He would no longer be just Alec. By this time next month, he would be Alec, 494, Husband, and King – and not long after all that, Father. All at once. Five people in one body. Could he handle it? The responsibilities that each of those people demanded of him? He wasn't sure.

As they arrived in 3C (Central Command Center), Max veered off to talk to Dix and left Alec standing at the stairs. He'd named it that to purposely annoy Max with the sheer redundancy of it. She still called it central. He wasn't listening to what was being said at all, instead watching her with keen observation. She was focused, that much was sure.

The worry in her eyes was completely submerged, invisible unless you know it's there. She was on a mission now, not to be distracted or deterred by silly things like emotions. He tuned back in moments later, when they were discussing how to get the information.

"There's an ex-Manticore scientist hiding out in Minnesota. We caught him trying to sell information about us on the black market, and Logan took care of the rest."

"Logan?" Max asked, surprised.

"Yeah. I dunno what he threatened him with, but the guy's been pretty quiet. We have him under surveillance in case he changed his mind."

Max grew silent, and I felt my stomach coil uncomfortably. Did she still have feelings for him? Did she agree to marry me for TC's sake alone? I thought about everything that had happened in the past forty-eight hours and felt a headache coming on. We were rushing into this, not that we had much of a choice, but it was going too fast. Way too fast.

Max and Logan had been officially broken up for a year now, the result of which was Logan moving to Canada with Asha and the S1W. For awhile, no one could speak Logan's name without having Max fly off the handle, but it hadn't been that way for awhile. Now she was functioning properly, as though she'd gotten over him. But had she? How many times had she and Logan done the 'we're-broken-up-waltz' only to switch to the 'we're-back-together-tango' just as quickly?

And now Zack had returned. Max's prodigal brother, her hero, knight in shining armor. How was he to compete with them? And make no mistake, it _was_ a competition. It wasn't for her attention though, necessarily. He could get that by running through TC buck naked if need be. No, this competition was about earning her complete trust. He knew that Max trusted him, to an extent, but no more than she trusted Zack or Logan. That was a problem.

As her future husband and co-ruler, they needed to have complete and utter faith in one another, more so than any other person. If Max has a problem, it needs to be him that she goes to for help, not Zack or Logan. It sounded so petty and childish that even thinking it that it made Alec wince, but there it was. They were going to be bound for a lifetime, and considering the fact that they were genetically engineered to be super humans…only God knows how long that could be.

Alec resolved, then and there, that he was going to do whatever it took to gain Max's trust.

"Let's go, then." Max and Dix simultaneously turned to look at him.

"I mean it. Time is of the essence here, and we can't afford to take our time. We're getting married in a month, and declaring ourselves a monarchy _directly_ after. The sooner we have the information we need, the better."

Max nodded. "Alec's right. The sooner we handle this, the better. Who should we send to retrieve him?"

"We'll go. The council can handle anything that comes up while we're gone for a couple of days. There can't be any room for error here, and it might make more of an impression on the little weasel if he gets a visit from T.C.'s leaders."

And if everything goes according to plan, a perfect opportunity should present itself for Alec and Max to get some one-on-one bonding time. A chance for him to get a feel on how much work needs to be done. Maybe even a chance to take Mole's advice and take Max on a date, and get her to loosen up a little. She was uncomfortable with him right now, for reasons he couldn't fathom, but it was something that needed to be resolved.

"Ok Alec," She said, a hint of caution and suspicion in her tone. "I'll put in a request with TJ for a vehicle and some supplies. Meet back here in three hours?"

"Sounds like a plan." She strode off the platform without saying another word, Dix having lost interest in conversation awhile ago.

That was something else that needed to be remedied: Her lack of interest in any kind of control over TC. At first, everything had been fine. At the beginning of the siege, she had no other thoughts in her head but of TC and the safety of her people, but as time passed…she became more withdrawn, became less active in the affairs of the city. She became malleable, having no opinion whatsoever on any idea proposed by either himself or the council.

Then the pick-up gone awry had happened. They received reliable information that a group of eight transgenics were seeking sanctuary and wanted to access TC. So, naturally, he and Max organized a retrieval team to pick them up in Sector 5. They made it in and out of TC without incident, amazingly enough, but ran into trouble upon their arrival at Sector 5.

Apparently, they weren't the only ones who received intel about the eight hopefuls. Familiars were already swarming the area by the time the team arrived. Everyone knew that it was a hopeless case, that the team should leave before they were noticed and try and rescue them later. Max apparently disagreed. Before Alec even had a chance to vocally suggest they turn around and head back, she was charging towards them head first.

Alec was a little quicker to react than the others and covered her descent with fire-power to distract the familiars, but was still too late. Max had freed the transgenics, which were making a hurried escape towards Alec and the others (who were now covering her with firepower as well), but was too slow in her escape. Natalia, one of the newer members of the Sisters who was extremely eager to prove herself, took off after Max, not letting a few bullets get in her way.

She tackled Max to the ground, essentially initiating a hand-to-hand combat in the middle of a war zone – especially given the fact that her Familiar siblings had now had the time to retrieve their own weapons and return fire. Alec had all but thrown his gun and one of the eight and rushed to Max's aid, knowing that the Familiars most likely had back up on the way – and that she had none, none but him.

Natalia, who had momentarily been distracted by Alec's charge, was taken out at the knees by Max, who took advantage of the situation. As Natalia fell to her knees, Max back-handed her and sent her flying a few feet and began to retreat. Natalia wasn't done though. Not one to accept any kind of defeat without recompense, Natalia removed the knife from her boot and threw it with force towards Alec. It was Max who saw where the projected knife was heading.

As the knife embedded itself hilt deep in Max's side, she stumbled only slightly before continuing her retreat. Alec was completely unaware of any of this until they were in the back of the truck, heading towards TC at fifty-five miles per hours, with the truck swerving all over the road in an effort to avoid the bullets being aimed at the tires. They were half-way to TC when Max went limp against his side and started to lose consciousness. They were three-fourths of the way there when she became unconscious and could not be woken. They had arrived in TC, the truck coming to an abrupt stop inside the Garage, and Max was being lifted onto a stretcher, when she stopped breathing.

Approximately forty-five seconds after she stopped breathing, she was pronounced dead. At Alec's insistence and with the threat of a swift death, the medic staff continued to work on her. Precisely two-minutes and seventeen seconds after she was pronounced dead, her heart began to beat again. Several hour's later, after multiple blood transfusions and minor surgery, Max was stable. Approximately sixteen hours after being wounded, she was awake and in pain. While changing her bandages, she offhandedly commented that dying would have been better than having to go through surgery, and constantly changing bandages.

Only Alec heard the bitterness behind her words, and saw the dry sarcasm in her eyes and something else – a true and honest desire for death. He has not left her alone since, and will not. She puts up a good front, keeps up the façade among the residents, but he knows, and he worries.

Alec zips up the his Duffel, a few wads of cash tucked here and there, a pair of jeans and a few t-shirts, his patented leather jacket, and, hidden beneath everything else – formal wear; a black pair of dress shoes, black dress slacks, black vest, silver tie, black blazer. He was going to take advantage of this time that he had with her – it might be the only chance he gets to make her _really_ understand.

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**A/n: …What was that I said about short and frequent? –sighs- Sorry. Not really sure what else to say. Anyway, thanks again for all of the lovely reviews and story alerts. You people mean the world to me! Also, if anyone is curious or interested, I am looking for a Beta.**


	6. The Roadtrip

**A/n: Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed/alerted/favorited my story! Your support means the world to me and I am truly happy that everyone is enjoying the story so far.**

**The some odd story alerts and reviews in the past three months got my butt in gear. And the fact that I graduated HS a couple of days ago and am now college-bound (WOO-HOO for FREE TIME!)**

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**Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

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Chapter 6: Roadtrip

"_I think it's my adventure, my trip, my journey, and I guess my attitude is, let the chips fall where they may." Leonard Nimoy_

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"_I gotta feelin', that tonight's gonna be a good night, that tonight's gonna be a good night, that tonight's gonna be a good, good night."_

"Alec, shut up!"

"Why are you so touchy Maxy? It's The Black Eyed Peas! They are the exception to…everything."

"…Really, Alec," Max look at him from the passenger seat, her arms folded over her chest. "You really like that song?"

"I do, Max, I really do." Alex grinned cheekily and Max rolled her eyes, thinking to herself that he really wasn't much different from any prepubescent male.

"Well, ok, you obviously don't like the song. What's your roadtrip song?"

"I don't have one, and we should focus on the mission; how we're going to get to him, and threaten him to help us. You know. Things that are _actually relevant_."

"Max, we have a minimum of ten hours left before we reach Minnesota. I'm fairly certain that any kind of roadtrip talk, which includes Eye-spy, 20 Questions, and Name-That-Tune, is relevant. So, c'mon, fess up. Favorite roadtrip song."

Max shook her head and refused to answer him, deciding that he was doing this just to irritate her and for no other reason. She likely would have continued with this train of thought, had Alec not abruptly pulled the truck over to the side of the road.

"Alec, what the hell are you doing?"

"We're not going any further until you tell me what your favorite roadtrip song is."

"…You're kidding me, right? You're going jeopardize the safety of our nation because I won't tell you my favorite song."

"Max, they jeopardized the safety of the nation when they decided that we should get married with a month's notice. Hell Max, our Nation is in jeopardy so much that I honestly don't think it _can_ be jeopardized anymore.'

"That's your theory? Because it's already jeopardized, it doesn't deserve to be saved any more abuse?"

"No, my theory is that the abuse is going to keep coming one way or another – just in different measures. No sooner do we have information from this guy, something else is going to pop up and jeopardize the safety of our nation. We are in perpetual terror, Max. It's one of the reason's we're getting married; to lessen that terror. But it's going to be there Max. The terror isn't going to just go away. Now, personally, I think if I'm going to be married to you for the rest of my life, I should know what your favorite song is."

Max observed him out of the corner of her eye before mumbling the song title.

"What?"

She repeated herself again, this time a little louder.

"Max, I know I'm genetically-engineered to be awesome, but there's no bat in my cocktail!"

"Don't Stop Believing!"

Alec sat looking at her with a blank expression on his face before, slowly, very slowly, a smile spread across his face. "…Journey? You're a Journey fan?"

"Just that song."

"Don't Stop Believing," Alec began to turn the wheel to pull them back onto the road, only to stop as he burst into a fit of laughter. "I'm sorry, but…Don't Stop Believing?"

"Let it go."

"No, I really can't. I mean, I knew you were optimistic and very Ra-Ra-go-team, but I just didn't expect it to be Journey. You seem more of an…hip-hop fan."

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**Five hours later….**

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"_Don't stop, believing! Just hold on to that feeling! Streetlight, people, living just to find emotion…Hiding, somewhere, in the night!" _

"_Working hard to get my fill," _

"_Everybody wants a thrill!"_

Alec and Max sang obnoxiously loud and purposely off key, both more than a little punch-drunk. They had been on the road for several hours now, and though they were completely sober, punch-drunk silliness ensued as it almost always does. They had played all of the classic games; Eye-Spy, 20 Questions, Truth or Dare. They had even had little bits of meaningful conversation every once in awhile, and now it was time for the roadtrip singing to begin. Though they had never had the benefit of a summer camp, and therefore had no silly rhyming songs to sing, they made do with KS85, the foremost station for 80's and 90's music.

They didn't sing to every song, and nor did they need to. They had finally reached the point in the car ride where all of your truths have been told, your dares have been done, the songs have been sung, and there is simply nothing more to do but sit in companionable silence. Alec was pleasantly surprised to discover that it _was_ a companionable silence; the air lacked boredom and was instead saturated with the fullness of learning more about someone.

As _Girls Just Want to Have Fun_ came on the radio station for the umpteenth time, Alec shut it off, glaring at the dials.

"Cyndi Lauper…Honestly, you can only take so much of her before she gets tiring. Especially the same song. Right?"

As Alec turned to look at her, he realized that she was sound asleep. With anyone else, he would be tempted to play a joke on them, but with Max…with that look of peace and the gentlest of smiles, he couldn't help but smile. At that moment, he knew that he would do anything he could to protect her – as her friend first, foremost, and always. She deserved better than what this life had seen fit to give her. She deserved better than scrounging and sacrificing for everyone else. Her birth, her life at Manticore, her life with Logan, her life with Freak Nation… every movement she'd ever made had been with the purpose of helping someone else. Her brief respite during the few short years following her escape from Manticore was short-lived, and could have been spent better…namely, enjoying herself, instead of looking for her long-lost siblings.

They'd all had rough childhoods, this was true. Max's escape from Manticore didn't make her life any easier. It was merely a different kind of difficulty. Alec had tried, time and time again, to explain to the denizens of Terminal City that Max wasn't all that different. He didn't get it at first, and it took him a long time and much hassle to get it, but he had. The irony is that he fell into this understanding without realizing it. After the raising of the flag, chaos reigned as people fought over who should be the leader, and Alec found himself defending Max's position even though it jeopardized his own. He felt his stomach rumble and noticed with some dismay that all of the snacks were gone. He pulled off the nearest exit and kept his eye trained for any bright lights.

About three miles off the exit, Alec was relieved to see the bright lights that typically signified a restaurant or a gas station. He pulled in the driveway and began to park when he read the sign more closely; "Buck's Hall" and then beneath it, "All you can eat and a dollar a dance, for 19.99". He quickly put the truck in reverse and made to pull out only to have his stomach growl louder. Max would _kill_ him. But….he was so _hungry_. The debate went on in his head for who knows how long, between hunger and Max, before he was pulled out of his reverie.

"You know, you could've woken me up."

Alec's head turned to see Max, still curled up in the seat, looking at him. "Now, Max, I was hoping it was a gas station and I was going to leave when I saw it wasn't but I'm just so hungry and –"

"Alec, shut up already," Max stopped him mid-ramble. "It's fine. I'm hungry too. The food is probably suspect, but it's food, and it's not like you _have_ to get a lap dance, right?"

"Right-o Maxy!" Alec grinned, happy to have escaped Max's wrath.

"Now, let's go in and get some food."

Alec parked the truck and made sure that it was properly locked before he opened the porch screen door, entering first to assess the situation. He forced himself not to cringe and put his hands in his pockets and instead walked straight to the bar, making sure to keep Max in his eyesight. This was definitely not one the nicer strip clubs he'd been to, even in the cesspools of Seattle, and the clientele… He and Max needed to get the hell out of here, food be damned. He made a motion to turn on his heel and walk out but was prevented by Max gently placing her hand in the crook of his arm and pulling him toward the bar, unafraid and unashamed.

The entire place had gone quiet, and Alec was sure that he could've heard a pin drop – even over "Like a Virgin", which was playing obnoxiously loudly through the speakers. Max took a seat at the bar and smiled at the bartender cheerily as she asked for a beer and some nachos. Alec noted that Max's unassuming smile had worked on the man, as he did as she asked without a snide comment. While he wasn't afraid of not being able to take on everyone in the bar, he was truly, inherently non-combative and would prefer to avoid any fighting. Max…she didn't care. She was going to do things her way, and if anyone got in her way while she was doing it, well, that was their fault.

His face was schooled into it's usual charming smile, purposely avoiding making eye contact with anyone. Good god, had any of these men heard of soap? You _can_ be a clean biker, for Christ's sake. Even so, he kept his head down. He gradually began to relax as the place returned to its previous state; Biker's were playing pool with strippers attached to their hips, and paying zero attention to them. Thank God. Max smiled at them and looked, once, over her shoulder at the pool table and raised an eyebrow. Alec frowned and shook his head, gesturing to the nachos and watch on his left wrist. They didn't have time to hustle. Max shot him a dry look before pointedly ignoring him and sauntering her way over to the pool table.

Wait a minute. Since when was _he_ the responsible one? Shouldn't _he_ be over there and _she_ be over here, discouraging him? And now she was flirting with the Bikers. Great. He pinched the bridge of his nose and wondered when, exactly, their roles got switched. She was completely ignoring him now, completely focused on conning them out of their money. Now, he was a fan of money, and he was a fan of conning it out of stupid people, but this was reckless, especially given the fact that they were on a tight schedule as it was. He stood to walk over and physically haul her out of there, but stopped with the look she shot him and the hand signs she made. Any extra cash meant supplies for T.C. Regardless, Alec would have preferred to steal one of their Harley's and fence it as an antique.

"Hey, baby," There was a small, delicate hand laid on his forearm now. The nails were impeccably manicured, but not painted some god awful color, and the skin was soft. Alec let his eyes travel up to the girls face and was not disappointed with what he saw. She had soft, refined features and large blue eyes. Her mouth was small and heart shaped, and her teeth were large and white – unlike her sisters-in-arms. "How about a dance?" Despite her womanly figure and coquettish charm, Alec didn't think she could've been more than 17.

"No, thank you," Alec shot her a charming smile and made to turn back to the bar when felt her hand slip into his pocket. Ah, a thief. "However," the hand stopped its search "I would ask you to take your hand out of my pocket and leave my wallet alone."

The girl promptly turned red and fled the room, the other women, some almost twice her senior, laughed and heckled her. Alec felt pity for the girl, but didn't allow any emotion to go beyond it. He couldn't afford mercy. As he finished off his beer, noting dryly that the buzz had diminished within 10 minutes, he slipped from the stool and made to pull his jacket on, signaling to Max that it was time to leave. The bikers were getting agitated now too, having lost half of the money in their wallets. Alec paid the bill and left the bar, gesturing that she had five minutes. He cracked his neck in anticipation of the long night ahead. Max had offered to drive, but he liked driving because it gave him a sense of control, and the ability to watch Max ad infinitum.

Max slipped in the front seat, grinning like a Cheshire cat. "We should get going. I don't think those Biker's are going to be too keen on letting us leave."

Alec snorted. "Right-o!" He slipped his hand to the gear shift but was forced to stop by the pressure of a gun barrel being pushed against the back of his head.

"You're not going anywhere, unless you take me with you." The blonde hair blue eyed 17 year old hissed from the backseat.

"Aw, come on now, put down the gun –"

"Shut it, 494. I'm not in the mood for any of your games."

"It's not a game," Max interrupted "Look kid, we're on a tight schedule."

"Yeah, so am I. Lydecker ordered me to have you brought to him by tomorrow."

"Lydecker is dead. Has been for over a year."

The blonde girl smirked. "That's what you think."

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**I know it's short...but it's longer than the last one! That counts for something, right? Please Review!**


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